Cynder's Nightmare
by DracoCharizard87
Summary: Cynder is petrified by a recurring nightmare personifying her own personal fears. Meanwhile, Queen Vildouleur schemes to uncover a hidden portal in an attempt to dominate the world.
1. Chapter 1: Horrific Defeat

**DRAGON HEROES**

Back to the action-adventure theme! More challenges await!

* * *

 **Cynder's Nightmare**

 **Chapter 1 – Horrific Defeat**

"Cynder, help me!"

"Hang on, Draco! I'm coming!"

Cynder quickly hurried to rescue Draco who was captured and held hostage in the Pyre Squad's latest contraption. They've been fighting them out in the wilderness. The three troublesome dragons laughed wickedly as she came right in front of them.

"We've got your Charizard buddy, Princess!" taunted Ciara. "Surely you can't be able to beat us all by yourself now!"

"Yeah, you might as well give it up if you know what's good for him!" added Scorcher.

"Stop this at once, Pyre Squad!" shouted Cynder. "I'm not afraid to use my Shadow Brooch so I can change to my Alpha form and defeat you!"

"Go right ahead and do it!" laughed Cronk. "But let me tell you, Princess, you're still hopelessly outmatched! Our machine can dish out anything you deliver!"

"You're asking for it!" hissed Cynder, and with that she took out her Shadow Brooch and fastened it on her coat. With that, the energy of the Dusk Gems contained within the brooch coursed through her entire body. Gritting her teeth as she felt her strength increasing, Cynder's body flashed rapidly before the dark purple aura emanated around her. Soon, her body glowed into a bright pinkish hue, completing her transformation to her Alpha form. She now felt ready to take out the Pyre Squad once and for all.

"Go on ahead," said Ciara. "We await your first move."

"I'll show you what I can do!" exclaimed Cynder, and she desperately charged up towards their machine. The Twilight Storm delivered rapid blows of scratches and tail whips, but no matter how much she inflicted, it did not leave on the machine's heavy armour.

The Pyre Squad laughed maniacally. "Is that all you've got?" they jeered.

"If my claws and tail can't do anything to your ugly machine, then I'm gonna try to incinerate you with my plasma bursts!" declared Cynder.

"Let's see if you can do just that," said Scorcher nastily. "You should know by now that you are just wasting your time and energy trying to defeat us."

Bravely, Cynder delivers a barrage of plasma bursts at the Pyre Squad, but not even that did any damage to their machine. They continue to laugh at her futile efforts.

"Cynder!" called Draco. "Try to ram them with your dive bomb! Maybe that will stop them in their tracks and free me from their grasp!"

Without wasting any time, Cynder resorted to her dive bomb. She assumed a bullet position and rocketed towards the Pyre Squad's machine after charging her attack towards its peak power. The collision caused a massive friction that lasted for several seconds. Unfortunately, not even the dive bomb attack was efficient enough to destroy the machine as Cynder was knocked backwards, and she reeling from the pain in her head.

"Darn it!" she pouted. "What's wrong? I can't give up now!"

"Tough break, Princess!" cackled Ciara. "You just don't get it, do you? We have finally won this fight!"

Cynder struggled with as much strength as she had left. She floated upward to face the Pyre Squad's machine, wondering how she would be able to take it out now.

"There must be another to defeat this monstrosity," she groaned. "But I seem to be running out of ideas."

"That's what happens when you try to take us on by yourself," mocked Scorcher. "You clearly don't have a backup plan, do you?"

"You're wrong," hissed Cynder. "I will soon figure out how to stop you and reduce your contraption to scrap iron!"

"Oh, really?" asked Cronk. He pushed a button which made the giant robot reach out with its left arm and roll it into a fist. In the blink of an eye, it landed a hit on Cynder and she was sent crashing into the ground.

"No! Cynder!" gasped Draco in horror.

It seemed as if Cynder was knocked out, but slowly she strugged to get up. She felt her body aching very badly. The Twilight Storm tried to attack the Pyre Squad's machine, but the robot unleashed a barrage of glue-like substance. Just before Cynder could evade, a giant wad of the slime trapped her. She tried to get out, but found that she couldn't move. Cynder was stuck.

"Well, well, it seemed the Twilight Storm Princess has been swamped," said a voice.

Cynder turned around, and to her dismay, there was Queen Vildouleur standing in front of her with a nasty grin on her face.

"You foul, cruel, evil fiend!" she spat as she struggled unsuccessfully. "I won't let you get away with this!"

"How I love it when you give me such delicious compliments," retorted Vildouleur. "I could really consider you as my personal right-hand dragon."

"I will never join you, Vildouleur!" hissed Cynder. "Not in my whole life!"

Queen Vildouleur. "Oh, but you will," she replied. "For you see, you just don't know it, and even if you did, you will continue to deny it. It is your destiny to join the Obsidian Devourers. Face it, Princess, it's all over! This world is mine!"

"You and the Pyre Squad better let go of Draco right now!" shouted Cynder.

"You have paid the price for your stubbornness and your insistence on working alone," said Queen Vildouleur as she drew closer to the Twilight Storm princess. "For that, you shall join my cause, and I will force you to follow my every whim. Once you're in my power, your first target will be your Charizard friend."

"You wouldn't dare!" shrieked Cynder, feeling very frightened. "I won't do it!"

"Resist it, Cynder!" called out Draco. He tried to get himself out of the Pyre Squad's grasp, but it was no good. Their robot held its grip tightly on him.

"It's too late for you now, Princess" said Vildouleur as she laughed evilly. "Prepare to become part of the master dragon race as I cast my mind control spell on you!"

Queen Vildouleur chants an incantation and then unleashes a torrent of shadowy claws that stream rapidly towards Cynder, who flailed hopelessly as the goo sucked her in.

"CYNDER!" cried Draco.

Cynder could only scream in horror as there was nothing she could do to free herself from the goo trap.

In an instant, the shadowy claws engulfed her.

Then everything went black.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Uh-oh, it looks as if Cynder has been mind controlled by the Dark Queen! Could this be the end?


	2. Chapter 2: All a Dream

**Chapter 2 – All a Dream**

Cynder gasped in shock as she quickly opened her eyes to find herself in the safety of her bedroom. While she looked around the room, the Twilight Storm princess breathed uncontrollably as she felt her heart racing. The dream felt so real to her.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed anxiously. "That was horrifying!"

She looked out the window to check on Draco's hut next to her. It was still dark, far from sunrise, least for a couple more hours. With Draco's hut not lit, she sighed in relief knowing that he's safe and sleeping peacefully, especially with Darky sharing the hut with him. Even so, she felt very disturbed by what she just dreamt.

"I guess I must have had a bit too much fish for dinner," Cynder said to herself. "Might be best to cut down on how much I eat at night."

Still reeling from the shock of her nightmare, Cynder made her way to the bathroom for a cool drink of water. She was perspiring a lot out of anxiety, so much so that she felt nearly dehydrated.

After drinking some water, Cynder trudged to her room and slumped on the bed feeling exhausted. The only sound that could be heard was the faint chirping of crickets coming from outside. Much as she wanted to sleep, Cynder found it hard to do so, not wanting to go through the same dream again.

* * *

Late in the morning, Cynder woke up and had her breakfast, but still groggy from not being able to sleep able. She was still feeling disturbed from her nightmare that she wanted to talk to someone about what she dreamt. On the way to Percival's hut, she could see Draco, Lily and Darky playing together.

"Hi, Cynder," said Draco when she saw her. "It's about time that you're up. Better late than never, I suppose."

"Just didn't get myself a good sleep," replied Cynder. "Anyway, I need to find Percival, is he around?"

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Lily. "He's just inside his hut arranging his stuff."

"Thanks, Lily," said Cynder as she hurried into Percival's hut.

Percival had never felt so happy to have his own place to live after the ordeal he went through the first two nights he shared the hut with Jakkin. He was humming a little tune tidying his room when he heard Cynder open the door.

"Um, hey, Percival," called Cynder. "Pardon me if I'm interrupting whatever you're doing at this moment."

"Oh, hi, Cynder," said Percival. "No, you're perfectly fine. Do you want anything right now?"

"Well, I could use with a small glass of milk," said Cynder. "And I needed to talk to you about something that's been weighing on my mind."

"Okay, here you go," replied Percival as he got out a container of milk, poured it on a glass, and passed it over to Cynder. "So, what is it that's on your mind, my friend?"

Cynder thought real hard on what to say. "Percival, I wanted to know something about nightmares," she began.

"Nightmares, eh?" asked Percival.

"Yes, Percival," said Cynder slowly. "Last night I had a rather disturbing dream and it's just not really pleasant to talk about it."

"Well, if you don't want to mention what the dream was about, then you don't have to," said Percival. "I can't really help since personally, I don't know anything about dreams as a whole. What I do remember, however, are some things that I've been taught at the dragon monastery. Master Tanaka told me long ago that nightmares are a product of personal fears and regrets that we have."

"I see what you mean," said Cynder solemnly. She could still remember the dream vividly of Draco being captured by the Pyre Squad, herself being brought down by their contraption, and finally being influenced by Queen Vildouleur into joining the Obsidian Devourers. She also remembered how they've been taunting her of how she could have won if she had counted on her friends to help her, and she wondered if it was some kind of sign.

"Are you going to finish your milk?" asked Percival, pointing at the glass that was already half-empty.

Cynder continued to think deeply about her dream. "It was all a dream," she finally spoke as she grabbed her glass of milk. "Maybe I shouldn't have to worry about it too much."

"That's the way to look at it," smiled Percival. "No matter how much they have frightened you, dreams are just dreams, and they can't really hurt you."

"Yeah, you're right," said Cynder. She continued to gather her thoughts on what to do next, when suddenly, her Holo Caster started to light up and ring. Cynder reached down and checked her Holo Caster to notice that she just received an urgent message from Blaze the Cat. Curiously, she accepted the message and a hologram of Blaze displayed from within.

"Cynder, this is Blaze!" she began with an anxious look on her face. "I have very grave news for you, and you must listen carefully! Tails and I have intercepted one of the Dark Queen's transmissions and discovered that she is dispatching her agents to find and uncover a very mysterious interdimensional portal hidden somewhere in London, due in for the next two hours! But that's not all! They are planning to bring in deadly monsters through the portal and into our world as part of her plan for world domination! If you don't stop them, this could mean disaster for all of us! You must head to London and stop the Obsidian Devourers' latest scheme once and for all! Good luck, Cynder! You can do it!"

And with that, Blaze's hologram vanished.

Cynder and Percival looked at each other after absorbing everything they heard from Blaze's message. They are well aware that it sounded very serious.

"Queen Vildouleur is looking for an interdimensional portal hidden in London?" asked Percival.

"That's exactly what she said in the message," said Cynder. "I don't really like the sound of this."

"It could be a trap set for us," assumed Percival.

"Possibly so," replied Cynder. "But whether it is a trap or not, we cannot allow them to find the portal and cause the destruction of our world!"

"So, what's our next move?" asked Percival.

"We're going to London," replied Cynder as she made her way out to the door. "I'm going to gather everyone and see who we can take on this mission!"

* * *

Soon after finding the other dragons, Cynder rallied them at the centre of Reptiville. Jakkin and Torden were having a sparring session before she called them back. When everyone got together, they all waited anxiously for what Cynder was about to tell them.

"Well, what is it?" asked Jakkin. "What made us come back here for now?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Torden. "What is it you have to tell us that made us prematurely end our sparring?"

"Alright, everyone," said Cynder as she raised her paw to calm everyone down. "I better make this short, because we don't have much time."

"Just relax and think what you're about to say, Cynder," said Draco. "Sounds like it must be something very important."

"It really is, Draco," replied Cynder. She straightened herself, and half closed her gold eyes, took a deep breath, and began. "I just received a message from Blaze, and she told me that she and Tails have intercepted a transmission of Queen Vildouleur. Apparently, she is planning to find a hidden portal in London so as to unleash monstrosities into the world. If we don't do something, this could be the end for a lot of us."

"So those goons are still causing trouble," said Torden as he cracked his knuckles. "I'd give them a taste of my fists if I have the chance!"

"Did you say London?" asked Lily. "Isn't that in the land of the horses, if I have heard correctly?"

"Yes, it is," replied Cynder. "Much like the place Darky originally came from before Blaze found him."

Darky felt excited when he heard that. He remembered his first few years of his life at the Other World where he was raised by magical horses.

"Now then," continued Cynder. "I'm going to need to bring a select few to assist me on this mission, while someone will stay here and keep an eye out on the village."

"So who will be going with you to London?" asked Lily.

"I have already made the decision," said Cynder. "You will stay and mind the village, Lily. I will be taking Draco, Percival, Torden and Jakkin."

Draco shuddered at the thought of going on a dangerous mission, especially when he doesn't have his Elemental Brooch like the rest of his friends.

"What about me, Cynder?" asked Darky.

"No, Darky, you can't come with us as it's too dangerous," said Cynder. "Besides, Lily will take care of you while we're away."

Darky pouted as he really wanted to go an adventure, but agreed to stay in the village with Lily. She at least provides a lot of fun for him.

"Okay," said Cynder as she took out the capsule holding the Transporter Device. "It's now or never, and we must get this started right away!"

Cynder tossed the capsule and it burst open revealing the Transporter Device after the smoke cleared. The five dragons climbed on board.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked.

"We are ready!" exclaimed Jakkin, Torden, and Percival. Even Draco joined in, though he was still reluctant.

"Please be careful while you're out there!" called Lily.

"We will be fine, Lily," said Cynder, and when she pushed the activation button, the big machine whirred loudly and then flashed rapidly. Lily and Darky could only cover their eyes while the Transporter Device kept on flashing before it vanished with all her friends inside.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Gotcha! The first chapter was just a crazy nightmare! Let's see how Cynder copes with it as the story goes on!


	3. Chapter 3: Returning to London

**Chapter 3 – Returning to London**

Queen Vildouleur waited impatiently in the throne room for her troops to come with their report of finding the hidden interdimensional portal at London. Even though she had plenty of time to conquer the world, she realised that she was pressed on time to make it happen, especially when Cynder and her group had made smart of the Pyre Squad and meddled in her affairs far enough.

Eventually, the widescreen monitor at the front of her room flickered on to reveal her right-hand dragon Sardius. "Your Nastiness," he began. "Our search team has returned to the Obsidian Tower, but they were unable to find the portal that we're searching for."

Vildouleur frowned. "Those lousy failures," she seethed. "I will see to it that they will suffer the consequences for their incompetence!"

"Oh, but there's something you should know," went on Sardius. "Our intelligence detected a small group of dragons that just appeared at England. I am under the impression that they might be the group of dragons you are trying to eliminate."

"Just as I have predicted," said Vildouleur as she drummed her claws together. "They must be out to prevent us from finding the interdimensional portal. Well, maybe they can be of good use to us in finding the portal, and once we find it, we'll put an end to those pathetic fools."

"You always have some rotten scheme in thought, don't you?" chuckled Sardius.

"It's just part of being a proper dragon," said Vildouleur.

Sardius nodded in agreement. "Time we should get one of our squadrons to do the job."

"Leave it to me," replied Vildouleur. "I already know who will be able to take on the mission."

"As you wish, Your Maliciousness," said Sardius and the monitor flickered off.

Queen Vildouleur turned around as she schemes her next plan. _Those meddling dragons are becoming a nuisance each and every time,_ she thought. _The Pyre Squad have done enough failures, so it's about time I take things up a notch, and I know just who I can count on, least for now._

Grinning evilly, Queen Vildouleur faces a corner enshrouded in darkness. "Bowser!" she called out.

"What is thy bidding, my Queen?" droned Bowser, still under her mind control spell.

"The dragons are on their way to London to find a portal of great importance," said Vildouleur. "When you find them and the portal, kill them with extreme prejudice and summon me to the portal's location."

Bowser's hatred for Cynder and her friends intensified as he readied himself to undertake the task given to him. "I shall do as you command!" he growled, and he stepped into a warp tile while Vildouleur cackled with delight, relishing at the thought of ruling the world and being rid of her enemies.

* * *

Cynder and her friends find themselves in an English countryside upon their arrival at Britain. It felt like yesterday for the Twilight Storm princess as she remembered the day she came to the country when Blaze the Cat took her in as a student. She could sense the changes, but for the most part they seemed minimal.

"So this is England," said Draco. "Doesn't look too shabby, I must say."

"Where do we from here now, Cynder?" asked Jakkin.

"From what I remembered, Blaze had good relations with the horses of England," said Cynder. "She particularly was close to Her Royal Highness, Queen Mysticorn."

"Do you know where we can find this queen of horses?" asked Torden.

Cynder tried to remember what Blaze told her. "If I recall correctly, she said it was somewhere around the royal borough at London," she said. "Queen Mysticorn might be the one who knows about the portal since originally, she wasn't from this world, but most likely the same one where Blaze found Darky."

"In that case, I say we better start heading our way to London and find out," said Percival. "The sooner the better so we can prevent Vildouleur from reaching the portal and realising her evil goal."

Nodding in agreement, the dragons took flight and made their way to London. Eventually when they reached the city, they began their search for Queen Mysticorn. They came to a part of the city where there were all kinds of horses, even though they have seen quite a lot of them during their visit to England.

While the dragons were checking the city, several horse people eyed them suspiciously. They have never seen dragons come to their part of London, and they weren't sure if they posed no threat.

Cynder thought hard on what to say to them in order to assure them that she and her group were friendly dragons. "Hello," she greeted. "We're just a group of dragons out on a mission, and we were wondering if we can have an appointment with your queen to discuss something of great importance."

"We're so sorry," said one horse. "Her Royal Highness doesn't speak to anyone, let alone your kind, unless you might be associated with someone she has connections with."

This gave Cynder an idea. "Actually, have you heard of the Dragon Master Blaze Felini?" she asked. "We happen to be a group of her students, and we have come here on her behalf."

"You are?" asked another horse. "Well, why didn't you say so? Come with me! I know just the one who can be able to help you to see Her Majesty."

* * *

True to his word, the horse led the dragons to a flat complex. Inside at a certain floor, he knocked on the door of one of the apartments. Cynder was in for a surprise when she saw who answered.

"Dr Phillip Hooves?" she asked silently and to herself.

"Good afternoon, father," said the horse.

"Hullo, Nathan, my boy," replied Dr Hooves. "So good to see you back home."

"You're the son of the London Furry Campus headmaster?" exclaimed Cynder. "Talk about unbelievable!"

"So you have heard of my father, haven't you?" asked Nathan. "Oh, what am I saying? Of course you do since you're all students of Blaze the Cat."

"Technically, none of us are," said Jakkin. "It's Cynder who's the only one trained by her and still is."

Dr Hooves looked at Cynder. "Ah, so you're the rising star of the former Royal Cat Academy Dragon Master Blaze Felini," he said. "I am very pleased to meet you and your friends."

"It is an honour to meet you in person, Sir Phillip," said Cynder as she bowed with utmost respect.

"Sorry for asking a silly question," said Draco. "But who is he, Cynder?"

"He is Dr Phillip Hooves," replied Cynder. "He is the illustrious dean of the London Furry Campus, where Tails went on his preparatory course on Information Technology ten years ago."

"Oh, yes, I remember Tails told me about his two month vacation in England back then," said Draco. "I had no idea that the place he studied to prepare for college was run by someone very famous."

Dr Hooves smiled and nodded. "So, what brings you all here?" he asked.

"They want to have an appointment with Queen Mysticorn," said Nathan. "Surely you might be able to help them since you've been knighted by Her Royal Highness long ago."

Dr Hooves pondered deeply. "Please come inside so we can talk," he said. "I'll serve you all some tea and nosh."

Soon after everyone got comfortable in the apartment, Dr Hooves brought them tea with buttered toast. As Cynder told him about her adventures with her friends up to what brought them to England, his expression changed to a serious tone.

"So you're saying that the Obsidian Devourers are trying to search for the interdimensional portal to bring vicious monsters into this world?" he asked.

"That is all true," replied Cynder. "So you see, this is why we need to see Queen Mysticorn, so she can lead us to the portal's location and we can prevent the Obsidian Devourers from getting there first, but we must do this fast as we're running out of time!"

"The dimensional portal has been here for so many generations," said Dr Hooves. "Only Her Royal Highness has the password needed to gain access to the portal, and when the Obsidian Devourers learn about this, they'll be coming to interrogate Her Royal Highness, which could mean her life is at stake!"

"You mean that they have the potential to kill her?" asked Percival worryingly.

"I'm afraid so," replied Dr Hooves. "And we cannot let that happen. Since you dragons are friends of Blaze and are preventing the Obsidian Devourers from achieving their goals of world domination, I will help you all by bringing you to her right now."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Anyone who has read my fanfiction _Tails' Holiday_ might be familiar with the Dr Hooves character I created, and he's not the only one who makes an appearance here! Wait and find out in the next chapter! Oh, boy, I'm full of surprises!


	4. Chapter 4: The Portal

**Chapter 4 – The Portal**

It was not long until Dr Hooves brought the dragons to the Royal Equine Palace. Two guards stood silently in their posts situated at opposite ends of the gate. Dr Hooves turned to the dragons.

"Wait right here," he said. "I have to request for a clearance first."

Dr Hooves made his way to the front of the gate and spoke to the guards. "This is Sir Phillip James Hooves III wishing to speak to Her Royal Highness, Queen Sarah Alicia Mysticorn II for a matter of paramount importance. Please grant us access to the palace."

The guards didn't say a word, but they stamped their feet, signalling the gate to open. Dr Hooves smiled and nodded respectfully as he beckoned the dragons to follow him into the palace.

When they arrived at the Queen's throne, they met a lovely looking and kind unicorn who wore slick, majestic, regal style clothing. Queen Mysticorn was very surprised to see Dr Hooves.

"Sir Phillip!" she exclaimed. "How jolly good to see you at the palace after so many years since you have been knighted!"

"Quite frightfully so," replied Dr Hooves. "I have come because I have here a group of dragons that want to know the location of the hidden portal."

"What for?" wonder Queen Mysticorn.

"I'm a student of Blaze the Cat, Your Royal Highness," said Cynder. "My friends and I have been going on a journey, and recently we learned that an evil organisation was trying to find the portal for their own evil purposes."

"I see," said Queen Mysticorn seriously. "And what is the name of this organisation you speak of?"

"The Obsidian Devourers," replied Cynder.

"Those evil dragons?!" exclaimed Queen Mysticorn. "That could definitely spell trouble for all of us!"

"Exactly," said Cynder. "So we need to know the find the location to the portal as soon as we can before they do and try to extract the password from you."

"I appreciate your concern," said Queen Mysticorn. "But I am unable to go with you to find the portal. However, to fend off against the would-be attackers, I do have here a young dragon that can be of great assistance. He can help you locate the portal too."

"Who is he?" asked Cynder.

"He has become a loyal subject to the palace," smiled Queen Mysticorn. "Here, let me call him in for you."

Queen Mysticorn pressed a button which emitted a buzzing sound, and in no time, a green dragon who looked to be around the age of the other dragons appeared. "Meet Alex Brimstone, one of Sir Phillip's finest alumni," she smiled.

"Hello there," said Alex. "It really is a pleasure to meet you all."

* * *

After their friendly greeting and appointment, Dr Hooves separated from the group to return to his apartment while Alex went with the dragons to find the interdimensional portal. As they were flying en route to their destination, Alex was delighted to make acquaintance with Cynder and her friends.

"It's about time you and I have finally met, Cynder," said Alex. "I remember hearing a lot about your achievements at the Royal Cat Academy many years ago, so I was hoping for a chance to meet, and now it has finally happened! You certainly have a group of very good friends, I must say!"

"Like I'm giving away autographs," said Cynder sarcastically. Much as she took pride her achievements, she didn't consider them to be worth bragging about.

Alex laughed at the quip. "So, if those Obsidian Devourers attempt to get into the portal, will you have your friends help you in stopping them?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure I can be able to handle them on my own," replied Cynder quickly.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" asked Alex. "I mean, it's good to try to do things by yourself, but counting on your friends has is just as important."

"Don't worry, Alex," assured Cynder. "I have a lot of resolve, so there's no way I would end up in trouble."

There was a long silence.

"Well, if you say so, Princess," said Alex awkwardly.

"Please!" burst out Cynder. "Just call me by my name. I'm not too fond of being referred to by my title, thank you very much."

"Well, if you say so," replied Alex.

Draco noticed that Cynder was acting rather jumpy and tense. "Um, is there something bothering you, Cynder?" he asked.

"No, everything's just fine," insisted Cynder.

Everyone remained quiet as they headed onward to the location of the hidden interdimensional portal.

* * *

"Alright, everyone!" announced Alex. "We have reached our destination!"

The group descended at Primrose Hill, a wide, large hill full of green. As they climbed around the hill, Alex finally picked up its location using the radar provided to him by Queen Mysticorn.

"Here is the location," he said. "But now we must wait for the Obsidian Devourers to appear."

The dragons waited, but to their surprise, the Obsidian Devourers didn't come. Not an unexpected arrival of the Pyre Squad or even the Dark Queen showing up herself. This left the dragons scratching their head in confusion.

"Strange," said Draco, feeling very uneasy. "Don't you think they should have been here by now? I mean, we just arrived at England over two hours, and I don't see a sign of them anywhere."

"Yeah," agreed Percival. "No kidding."

"Maybe they might have given up and went on to cause trouble elsewhere," said Torden. "That's the only explanation I could think of."

"We can't be too sure about that, Torden," said Jakkin. "These guys will do anything to fulfil their goals, so I won't be jumpin' the gun just yet."

Alex smiled for a second. "Well, as long as we are safe now," he said. "How about I reveal the portal to you guys?"

Cynder's eyes widened at Alex's suggestion. "Are you serious?" she asked. "You can't be suggesting that we take a peak when we are so certain if the Obsidian Devourers are coming or not."

"Just only for a brief moment," said Alex. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Cynder continued to remain sceptical about the idea.

"It's just that I've never seen the portal before," continued Alex. "All I heard was that it lets off a very mystical aura, making it such a sight to behold."

The other dragons looked at each other. Draco was the only one who was on Cynder's side on the matter.

"You know, I'd like to see what this portal looks like," said Torden. "It sounds like it's something that none of us will ever be able see in our lifetimes."

"I can agree with ya on that, Torden," said Jakkin.

"This could really enrich us with knowledge on what lies beyond the Earth," concluded Percival. "So I'm on board with that."

"Guess that's four out of six," laughed Alex. "Everyone, just gather by my while I do the honours."

So Jakkin, Percival, and Torden did as Alex instructed. With no other choice, Cynder and Draco joined while Alex reaches his arms out and looks down on the ground. After breathing in and out for a few times, he began to recite the password.

"I call upon thee, for mysteries to respond,

Reveal to us, the worlds beyond."

Alex waited anxiously for something to happen, and so did the dragons. Suddenly, the ground started to shake. Within a few seconds, it started to give way as something large and golden rose up from the dirt. Everyone was amazed as large oval-shaped ring was revealed, standing vertically up. Once it was finally unearthed, golden staircases emerged to meet the giant ring, followed by a mystical purple cloud materialising within the hollow ring. No one had ever seen such a magnificent sight.

"Well, I'll be darned!" exclaimed Jakkin. "So that's the portal to the Other World?"

"Absolutely, Jakkin," said Alex, feeling just as awed. "Queen Mysticorn must have taken a lot of pride in protecting it."

The other dragons remained speechless. Even Cynder and Draco couldn't believe their eyes.

"It's so beautiful," marvelled Draco. "I can't put my claw on it, but it's very inexplicable, and such an incredible essence of intangibleness!"

Cynder could only nod in agreement. "So, I guess that should be it for now, right?" she asked.

"Yes, I say we have seen as much as we have needed," said Alex. "Now, let me chant the password to conceal the portal."

"You won't do such a thing!" boomed a deep, growly voice.

Cynder and Draco realised that they are in serious trouble, and they couldn't be any more correct. As they and the other dragons turned around to the direction of the voice, they could see Bowser staring at them with his blank eyes and an evil expression on his face.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Alex Brimstone from my _Tails' Holiday_ fanfic also makes an appearance here! We also have an upcoming battle against the corrupted Bowser, which will be in the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5: Cynder's Fear

**Chapter 5 – Cynder's Fear**

"The portal has been unearthed," droned Bowser. "Now, I shall destroy the enemies of the Dark Queen!"

The possessed Koopa King lunged directly towards Cynder and her friends. Fortunately, they dodged his attack just in time. Alex could only wonder what was going on.

"Bowser!" called Draco. "Snap out of it at once! You are much better than that! You must fight the Dark Queen's mind control spell!"

But it was no use, for Bowser was still under Queen Vildouleur's control. He continued his assault while they continued to avoid his attacks. Cynder could only watch in horror at the sight of the battle.

"Cynder, what is up with that Koopa?" asked Alex.

"That's Bowser," said Cynder as she continued looking on. "He used to be bad, but became good years ago when he got close to Draco. Now he's back to his old self thanks to a spell the Dark Queen casted on him, and we have no idea how to break it."

"Maybe you should try defeating him," said Alex. "That could be a way to revert him back to normal."

"It doesn't really work that way," said Cynder. "It takes more than just fighting someone in order to break a spell."

"You should really help them out, Cynder!" exclaimed Alex. "Your friends cannot be able to do this without your help!"

Cynder remained in shock, uncertain of what to do, and watches Bowser thrashing away at her friends.

Alex sighed in exasperation. "If you won't help, then I guess I'll have to join in and fend Bowser off," he said as he jumped into the fray.

Jakkin tried to slash away at him with his dual swords and then knock him with his martial art punches and kicks, but to no avail. Not even Torden was able to lay a scratch on him. Laughing evilly, Bowser sends Jakkin and Torden hurtling towards Draco and Percival after their unsuccessful attempts to subdue them.

"I have you now!" growled Bowser as he advanced towards the downed dragons. "In the name of the Dark Queen, you all shall be destroyed!"

Bowser opens his mouth, as he prepares himself to unleash a devastating fire breath towards the dragons. They could only groan as they struggle to get themselves up and realised that they won't be able to dodge Bowser's fire breath attack. Just as Bowser was about to deliver the finishing blow, Alex zoomed and knocked him backwards, causing him to unleash his attack upwards to the sky.

"Alex!" gasped Torden. "What are you doing here?!"

"I am going to try to fend him off while you regain your strength," said Alex.

"What?!" exclaimed Jakkin. "You won't be able to take him down! He's too powerful!"

"It was my mistake to show the portal to you guys," said Alex. "I should have known that Queen Vildouleur would have something else up her sleeve in order to execute her plan of bringing in monsters to our world."

"Please be careful, Alex," said Draco. "And don't completely take him out. We still need to find a way to be able to bring him back to his good self."

"Don't worry," said Alex as he watches Bowser recover. "I'm only going to try to keep him at bay and knock him out so that we can be able to seal the portal without his intervention. We should able to prevent impending disaster that way."

Bowser slowly manages to get up. "Thought you could be able to stop the Dark Queen's plans, do you?" he growled menacingly. "Just for that, you'll pay dearly with your life!"

"I don't know who you are, but clearly you are not your normal self," said Alex confidently. "You are being used by a malevolent leader who wants nothing than to rewrite dragon history and destroy everything we hold dear! It's only a matter of time until she turns against you!"

"Ha!" laughed Bowser. "You don't know the sheer brilliance of the Dark Queen! I must obey her and destroy her enemies and anyone that obstructs her path!"

Alex readies himself to fight Bowser. "Well, then," he said. "You leave me no other choice and I shall do what I must for Queen Mysticorn."

Roaring fiercely, Bowser lunges straight at Alex who also charges to him at the same time. The two dragons fought around the hill, determined to win so they could claim the interdimensional portal. It wasn't long until Bowser had the upper hand thanks to his size and physique.

"Alex, no!" exclaimed the dragons. They rushed to his aid, even though they were not strong enough to be able to subdue Bowser. Alex, who was battered from the fight, managed to crawl towards Cynder who was still petrified and uncertain on what to do.

"Cynder," he gasped. "I've seen the brooches you and your friends are wearing… Percival's Brooch has the power to be able to guide those exposed towards the light… Cynder, you must help your friends and work together with them… Cynder…"

The words spun around Cynder as she was having remembering the nightmare she just had. Seeing her friends howl and pain and call her name, she saw the visions of Draco crying for help as he was held by the Pyre Squad's machine, and then Queen Vildouleur attempting to control her with her mind control spell. As more of the visions and the reality flashed faster and faster, she also remembered what Percival told her about what he was taught about dreams. It was then when she picked up the pieces together and realised what her actual fear was – failure as a result of her stubbornness and insistence on not relying on her friends. She felt she could be able to manage anything on her, but now she understood that situations like now required teamwork.

"No…" she suddenly spoke, sounding more desperate by the second. "No!"

At last, she snapped back to her senses, and screamed so loudly that everyone had their attention fixed to her. Cynder's brooch responded to her, and with that, she transformed to her Alpha form.

"I won't allow it to see my friends suffer at the hands of Obsidian Devourers," she said slowly as he set her eyes on Bowser. "The Bowser I know can tear you apart, and I will see to it that he sees it!"

Cynder charged towards Bowser with a powered up dive bomb, freeing her friends from his torture. The corrupted Koopa King went sailing down the hill and crashed to the ground. Alex smiled faintly as he slowly recovered, knowing that Cynder has finally got back her resolve.


	6. Chapter 6: The Magic of Friendship

**Chapter 6 – The Magic of Friendship**

Draco, Percival, Jakkin, and Torden were very pleased with Cynder as she stood firmly and bravely.

"Cynder, you've come back!" exclaimed Draco.

"And you've taken down Bowser too!" said Jakkin.

"Hold on, you guys," said Cynder. "The battle isn't over just yet."

Indeed it has not. Bowser climbed his way up the hill seething with fury. His blank eyes were fixated on the dragons.

"Must destroy the enemies of the Dark Queen!" he growled angrily.

"What are we going to do now, Cynder?" asked Percival. "It seems we'll really have to be in this together!"

"I want to teach that bloated buffoon a thing or two!" declared Torden. "I don't care if he's mind controlled by Vildouleur. Someone needs to put him in his place!"

"No, that will not be necessary," said Cynder. "I have finally figured out what we need to do in order to restore Bowser to normal."

"So does that mean you're goin' to count on us now?" asked Jakkin. "Y'know ya can't be able to do this on your own."

"Well, I know I'm going to need the help of all of you guys," said Cynder. "But for breaking the spell Vildouleur has inflicted on Bowser, I will need Percival for this."

"Say what?" asked Percival. "What makes me very important in defeating Bowser?"

"Alex has disclosed some very useful information on your brooch," explained Cynder. "He said something about it having to ability to guide anything exposed into the light. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds like it can bring Bowser back to normal."

"Ah, now I know what you mean!" exclaimed Percival as he examined his Light Brooch. "Sounds like a plan!"

"This is the end for you!" droned Bowser. "You all will be destroyed!"

The dragons assumed their positions and Bowser charged at them one more time. Draco, Jakkin, Torden, and Cynder held the Koopa off at bay, and distracted him long enough for Percival to make use of his Light Brooch.

"Now, Percival!" called Cynder. "Have the front of your brooch poised right at his face!"

Without wasting a second, Percival flew straight at Bowser, holding his brooch as it started to glow and fixed it directly at Bowser's face. Despite being outnumbered, Bowser got the upper hand as he knocked Cynder, Draco, Jakkin, and Torden down to the ground. He was just about to incinerate them with his fire breath when he felt a sharp sting. It was the power of Percival's Light Brooch taking effect. The mighty Koopa roared in agony and darted off as quickly as he could.

As the dragons recovered from their beating, they wondered if the battle has been won.

"Do you think Bowser has been freed from Vildouleur's spell?" Percival asked Cynder.

"I can't quite say," said Cynder as she looked at the distance where Bowser ran off. "But one thing for sure is that he's not completely purified, and it won't be the last time we'll be facing him."

"Then, and only then will we be able to bring him back," said Draco.

Alex caught up to the dragons, feeling somewhat recovered. "So you guys have managed to restore Bowser to normal?"

"No, not yet," replied Cynder. "He won't be coming back to get to the interdimensional portal, though."

The group turned their focus back to the portal which still stood firmly. Alex started to feel remorseful that he almost unwittingly caused the disaster they were trying to prevent.

"I'm so sorry about all this," he said slowly. "It was never my intention for Bowser to try to get into the portal to fulfil the Obsidian Devourers' plans."

"Never mind, Alex," soothed Percival. "It wasn't your fault. You were just driven by curiosity to see what the portal looked like, so there's no need to beat yourself up."

"All that's left for me now is to face Queen Mysticorn and tell her everything that happened," replied Alex.

"Yeah, you should do that," said Cynder. "But first, we must seal and hide the portal so that no one else can try to use it for evil purposes."

* * *

Later after Alex sealed concealed the portal underground, the group returned to the Royal Equine Palace. The dragons told Queen Mysticorn everything, and Alex came up to her to offer her his apologies.

"I'm dreadfully sorry for exposing the portal, Your Highness," he said earnestly. "It was very irresponsible of me to show the portal to strangers, especially with the threat of the Obsidian Devourers still at large."

"Apology accepted, Alex," said Queen Mysticorn, she then spoke sternly. "But I must warn you that you must not act out on impulse as that often results in trouble. I shall head to Primrose Hill and seal the portal myself later on."

"Understood, Majesty" replied Alex.

Queen Mysticorn turned to Cynder and her friends. "You have done very well to protect the portal," she said. "I must commend you for your valiant efforts."

"Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness," said Cynder as she bowed respectfully.

"Cynder," began Queen Mysticorn. "Alex told me that you've been paralysed by a nightmare which you ended up seeing during the heat of the battle, am I right?"

"Yes, that's what happened," replied Cynder.

"From what I've been told, it seemed as if you were struggling with your personal fear of failing resulted by wanting to do everything on your own," continued Queen Mysticorn. She paused impressively. "What do you think the dreams were telling you?"

"That I can always count on my friends whenever the situation gets dire," answered Cynder.

"You are absolutely correct," smiled Queen Mysticorn. "The magic of friendship is that you feel much stronger when you count on others when dealing with situations that are impossible to accomplish alone. With friendship comes teamwork, and with teamwork, you can be able to do anything."

Cynder knew what Queen Mysticorn meant, as it was a life lesson she kept learning for years, from her mentor Blaze, to her friends from the Other World, especially Spyro and Bianca.

"Since you and your group are from Japan," continued Queen Mysticorn. "You all should consider joining a top secret organisation known as the Anthro League."

"What's that?" asked Cynder.

"I cannot tell you any further information," replied Queen Mysticorn. "It is entirely up to you to join. They could benefit a lot from your team."

* * *

Back in Japan, the dragons have returned to Reptiville in the Ise-Shima National Park, where they found Lily and Darky waiting for them. The two were so happy to see their friends again. That evening, while they were having dinner, the dragons told the entire story of their visit to London, their appointment with Queen Mysticorn, and the battle against the possessed Bowser, including the generous offer of participating in The Anthro League.

"That's some adventure you guys had!" said Lily happily. "I wish I was with all of you, but at least Darky here kept me company and we had some fun while you guys were absent."

"Yes, we sure had quite an adventure," replied Torden. "Still, I wonder when we'll be finding the organisation Queen Mysticorn told us about. Sounds like a place where a lot of anthros take part in. I wonder what they do."

"Searches me," said Jakkin. "But we'll find out soon enough."

The dragons agreed with him as they continued eating. Draco was munching away at the umpteenth stick of takoyaki when he noticed that Cynder wasn't sitting next to him. Worried about his friend, the Charizard stood up from his seat and began her search for her. It wasn't long until he saw the Twilight Storm outside the village, standing at the shore of the Ago Bay and staring out to the night. The waves sounded calm and soothing.

"Hey Draco," said Cynder when she saw the Charizard coming. "I guess you're probably wondering how I'm feeling right now."

"Yeah, I sure am," said Draco. "You look as if you're not so tense anymore, yet you just went off to have a look at the bay."

"Thanks to overcoming my fears and learning to value my friends more, I feel as if I am finally at peace with myself," replied Cynder. "Still, it will take me some time to become more accepting of help."

Draco smiled. "Well, you surely have come of age following all the events that took place while we were at London," he said.

Cynder nodded in agreement. "We are still yet to free Bowser from Vildouleur's control," she said. "But I know next time we face him, we will do what it takes."

"I certainly hope so," said Draco, who still misses Bowser and wishes to bring him back to normal. Slowly his paw touched Cynder's arm, gently stroking it and feeling how smooth and slender it was.

Cynder could only smile as she felt Draco's paw touch her. She looked into his eyes, seeing how sparkly they are in the night. In turn, Draco noticed how beautiful Cynder's gold catlike eyes were at this time. The beach had a rather romantic atmosphere as the waves continued crashing and stars above in the night sky with twinkling.

Their trance was suddenly broke when Jakkin arrived.

"Well, I see ya two lovebirds are having a tender moment in the dark," he joked. "Come back inside! We're all waitin' for ya!"

Draco hurried to join Jakkin while Cynder decided to stay for a little while longer. Feeling like a renewed dragon after learning more about herself, and with her friends by her side, especially Draco, she is certain that she will never have to worry about nightmares again.

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

Well, it seems that Cynder has gone through character development! Lots of foreshadowing in this chapter too! Cynder assures that it won't be the last time they'll be facing Bowser, there's some talk about a secret organisation where anthros meet up, and of course (to anyone who is a Spyro x Cynder shipper, please don't flame me for this!), a tender moment between Cynder and Draco, possibly a developing relationship between them! More surprises will come in the next story!


End file.
